Konoha Notes

Chapter 411 Heavy Burden
After confirming Pain's exact condition with Konoha and determining that the pressure on Kumogakure would be manageable in the short term after his departure, Ai decided to use the Heavenly Delivery Technique.

Coordinating the transmission of coordinates, confirming safe landing points, and making necessary arrangements for the village's defense and command system... Even with Raikage's efficiency, this series of preparations still consumed valuable time.

He was prepared for a bloody battle, but he didn't expect that after arriving, the only thing that awaited him was the funeral to be held for the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.

A had a pretty good impression of the Fourth Mizukage.

Yagura wasn't much of a talker, but through their frequent communications over the past few months, Ai had discovered that the Mizukage's actual power within Kirigakure was probably quite limited.

But this did not change his opinion of Yagura, who was a calm and resilient ninja who still tried his best to fulfill his duties even in difficult circumstances.

Now, the ninja is dead.

The person who succeeded him... clearly had a closer relationship with Konoha, their mutual ally.

Future collaborations with Wuyin may be different.

Inside the Yuanshi office.

Ai sat down with an air of authority: "Elder Yuan, what are Wuyin's plans next?"

"So, what are your plans?" Master Yuan asked. "Lord Lei Ying, before answering that question, I have some facts that may not be pleasant to hear."

"Throughout this attack, from the enemy's infiltration to create chaos and the mobilization of our main forces to disperse and deploy defenses, to Madara Uchiha's personal appearance and the interception of reinforcements by Pain at sea... we couldn't even confirm whether the enemy had used all their strength."

"The reality is that with the current military strength and high-end combat reserves of the Mist Village, it is not possible to hold out for a long enough time on its own before external reinforcements arrive. The gap is an objective fact."

"As for retaliation..." Master Yuan shook his head slightly, "The other party is an organization that has no foundation to care about, no territory or people to protect."

Ai listened in silence.

The influence of the Five Great Ninja Villages was fully demonstrated when dealing with the Land of Snow. If such a blockade were imposed on one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, it would probably have surrendered long ago.

This time, Kirigakure was able to hold on largely due to Yagura's decisiveness, Kisame and Zabuza's resolute actions, and the presence of external reinforcements.

The Fourth Raikage crossed his arms and asked in a deep voice, "So, does Kirigakure intend to delegate some of its protective responsibilities?"

The master remained silent for a moment, his grip on the serpent staff loosening slightly, as if recalling something: "Lord Raikage, several months ago, when Shuji from Konoha came to warn us, I asked Yagura..."

"I asked him if he was considering accepting protection."

"Yagura said that Jinchuriki are weapons that exist to protect the village, and the village should not have to pay the price to protect the weapons."

"He refused to hide."

"Therefore, between 'actively ending the life of the Jinchuriki to completely eliminate the enemy's target' and 'temporarily shifting the defensive pressure to seek other possible solutions'..."

The old man spoke slowly.

"Hidden Mist is a difficult choice. But the former is ultimately the last resort, the most desperate measure. If there are other paths, even if it's just to buy time, we must try them."

Ai understood what he meant.

Kirigakure will have to make the same decision as Iwagakure.
-
Water Shadow Building.

The office, which originally belonged to Yagura but now had to be repurposed, had its door ajar.

Mei Terumi didn't go in immediately. She faced the cold door, her gaze passing through the crack to fall inside.

That large desk, that high-backed chair that was now empty, those neatly arranged file racks that seemed to have lost their owner.

The day when he had to take over as Shadow finally arrived.

It happened earlier than she expected, and it was also more devastating than she anticipated.

The emotions churning inside me were hard to disentangle.

There was worry about Yagura's fate, anxiety about the future, and resentment towards her own slow actions. She had prepared for a long time, yet at times she would forget those preparations. Perhaps... it wouldn't be so bad if things just continued like this.

The fourth generation leader continued to serve in that capacity, waiting for him to regain his rightful reputation.

Yagura had finally broken free from control and fulfilled all the responsibilities of the Kage well during the most tense period of this year, without craving the power that belonged to the Kage.

It would be good if I could serve as an assistant and help the village find new directions.

It was a very selfish thought. But now, even that selfish fantasy has been shattered by reality.

Mei Terumi straightened up, raised her hand to carefully adjust the hem of her dark blue dress, and the personal hesitation and vulnerability on her face quickly faded away, replaced by a calm and resolute expression.

She pushed open the door, walked around the office, and sat down in the chair.

Light and sounds from the hallway outside flowed in.

"Fifth Hokage, this is a casualty report that urgently needs your review..."

"The Elders' final confirmation of the funeral arrangements..."

"Request for rotation of border guard troops..."

She received each person one by one, handling each urgent or trivial matter with an impeccable and proper expression, in a serious yet efficient manner.

Until Kisame Hoshigaki walked in, nothing else could be seen in his small eyes.

"Fifth Hokage, the coastline and surrounding area have been thoroughly searched. It has been confirmed that all Akatsuki members have completely withdrawn, and no new signs have been found so far."

Mei Terumi said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Kisame."

Kisame nodded, and seeing that the new Mizukage had no further instructions, he turned to leave.

"In the end, I'm very sorry that I had to ask you to do that thing."

Kisame didn't turn around; he just carried Samehada on his back.

“Fighting each other and killing comrades for reasons that are completely unclear... I have experienced enough of those days under the blood mist.” His voice rang out calmly, “Killing the Fourth Hokage, at least... there is a plausible reason.”

"After all, this was that person's own request."

"So, it's not something that requires your special apology, Fifth Hokage."

"You also brought reinforcements from other ninja villages."

"Otherwise, Zabuza and I... I'm afraid at least one of us would die there."

Mei Terumi's hand, which was under the table, clenched gently.

"Fourth Generation, Lord Yagura... will be the last comrade you have to kill, Kisame."

"This is my promise."

Kisame finally turned around and faced Mei Terumi.

He grinned, revealing his signature sharp teeth, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"You don't need to make such a promise, Fifth Hokage."

He concluded.

"The battle... is not over yet."

(End of this chapter)